-boarded an ocean liner – there were no civilian flights to Israel in those days - for an arduous 21-day voyage to Israel. Shortly after their arrival, the couple moved into an apartment in Jerusalem and Dr. Schussheim began working at Shaare Zedek Medical Center. He subsequently served in the IDF medical corps, and was deployed to the Sinai during the Yom Kippur War, where he treated thousands of wounded soldiers. He miraculously evaded death on more than one occasion. Over the years, Dr. Schussheim wrote impassioned letters to his family, relaying his love for the land and its people. Sure enough, the relatives from both sides of the family eventually left Argentina and settled in Israel. “My father-in-law never took it for granted that he made it to Israel,” said Chagai Goldschmidt, his son-in-law and EFRAT CEO. “At every family occasion, he would tearfully give thanks to the Creator for this special gift.” 88,000 and Counting Dr. Shussheim took tremendous pride in the babies born with his intervention. He attended their brit milahs and kept thick albums of 'his children.' Anyone who hadn't seen Dr. Shussheim gazing at the photos of
Dr. Schussheim with with the Belzer Rebbe shlit”a
offices, as can be seen from letters and stories received from women who had their babies many years after hearing one of Dr. Schussheim’s lectures or seeing him on video – and those are the ones we know about… But it extends even further. As Dr. Schussheim himself used to say: “When you save one child, you are also saving all his future generations.” Truly, we are talking about a scope that is immeasurable – and it all began with one man.
the thousands of children who came into the world thanks to his big heart and selfless dedication never saw true joy. Dr. Schussheim had initially pursued a career in medicine in order to save lives. He founded EFRAT after realizing that preventing abortions in Israel was the most effective way to accomplish that goal – and to date, the organization is proud to advertise the over 88,000 babies it has been privileged to save. We know, however, that the real number can never be calculated. Dr. Schussheim’s reach went far beyond the EFRAT
born. She demanded that he rouse himself with newfound faith and have another child. The result was the birth of Moshe Rabbeinu.” Leah went on to tell me about a wonderful couple from Kibbutz Nir Oz: Nofar and Amit Gore. Their kibbutz suffered a brutal fate, with dozens murdered and kidnapped. This past August, Leah accompanied the Gores throughout the delivery of their newborn daughter, Eli. “I look at this photo every day in our hospital’s delivery room, and it gives me renewed faith in the future of our people. Perhaps it will give strength to others too.”
We’ve seen evacuees, women who survived the hell of October 7th, as well as women who were grieving the loss of family members. Assisting these brave women give birth, I was overcome by a flood of emotions, both joyful and sad. “Now, almost one year later, I sense something different in the air. The couples who are arriving have decided to bring new life into the world, specifically at a time of crisis. This is a choice that, from a certain perspective, lacks all logic. How is it possible to think about bringing new lives into such a world?” Ten months ago, Leah had told me that she draws her inspiration from the Hebrew midwives in Egypt. “Today,” Leah wrote, “I derive strength from the mothers themselves, these brave women who can see into the future with the same strength displayed by their forbears in ancient Egypt. I am reminded me of Yocheved challenging Amram, her husband, who refused to bring other children into that oppressive world of Egyptian exile after Miriam and Aaron were
By Sivan Rahav-Meir
I received the following letter from my friend, Leah Melamed, who works as a midwife at Soroka Hospital in Beersheva, and I’d like to dedicate its message to the wonderful, impactful work of EFRAT. Leah and I spoke shortly after October 7, and now, almost a year later, she reached out to me again with her observations: “Since the outbreak of the war, being in the delivery room has been an emotionally draining experience.
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